The invention relates to a semiconductor component having a marginal region, to a semiconductor wafer having a zone composed of porous material, and to a method for singulating semiconductor components from a semiconductor wafer.
In the production of semiconductor components, during the singulation of the chips, for example by sawing or laser treatment from a semiconductor wafer, cracks can arise in the silicon which advance right into the active region of the semiconductor components. Moreover, during subsequent processing of the semiconductor components, such as during soldering for example, heavy metals, such as copper for example, can indiffuse into the electrically active region of the semiconductor components via the sawing edge. This leads in each case to an impairment of the electrical properties of the semiconductor component.
The effects of crack production mentioned during singulation can at present only be reduced by using a sufficient safety distance between the separating edge and the electrically active region of the semiconductor component. However, the area utilization of a semiconductor wafer is significantly reduced and the indiffusion of contaminating elements cannot be significantly prevented.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.